CS2 best settings for FPS, stable 1% lows and low input lag

What this guide is about

This is not a “click one button and get +300 FPS” guide. In CS2, something else matters more: stable frametime, strong 1% lows, fewer micro-stutters and lower input lag.

Average FPS looks nice on a screenshot, but during a match you will feel drops, uneven frame pacing and mouse delay much more. That is why this guide focuses on practical settings, not magic tweaks.

The full benchmark and testing notes are available in my repository: CS2 Optimization Guide & Performance Benchmarks.

Quick TL;DR

Area	Recommendation	Comment
Windows Game Mode	ON	Good default for gaming.
Hardware-accelerated GPU Scheduling / HAGS	Enabled	Helps in many configurations, but it is still worth testing.
Optimizations for windowed games	Enabled	Especially useful if you play in borderless or windowed mode.
Core Isolation / Memory Integrity	Conscious decision	This is a security feature. Disabling it can improve performance, but lowers system protection.
Launch options	Keep them clean	Old CS:GO commands are usually placebo in CS2.
-novid, -console	Optional	Convenience options, not FPS boosts.
-allow_third_party_software	Only when needed	Useful for OBS/testing, but do not add it without a reason.
V-Sync	OFF	Use V-Sync only if you know how to combine it properly with FreeSync/G-Sync.
Reflex / Anti-Lag	Test it	Can reduce input lag, sometimes at the cost of average FPS.
FACEIT AC	Do not tweak it	Do not touch the anti-cheat process.
CPU Sets	Advanced step	First configure the game and Windows, then test CPU Sets.

Read these two related guides first

This article refers to two separate topics:

• Windows 11 gaming settings — what is actually worth checking?
• CPU Affinity, CPU Sets and processor affinity in games — what is the difference?

I did not want to turn one article into a wall of text. Here you get practical CS2 settings, while Windows configuration and processor affinity are explained in separate guides.

Before you start

Do this in order:

1. Update Windows 11.
2. Install current chipset and GPU drivers.
3. Remove old CS:GO launch options.
4. Run a baseline test before changing anything.
5. Change one thing at a time.
6. After each bigger change, repeat the same test.

The worst scenario is applying 20 tweaks at once. Then you have no idea what helped, what changed nothing and what made stability worse.

Average FPS is not everything

In CS2, watch four metrics:

Metric	Meaning	Why it matters
Average FPS	average frame rate	General performance picture.
1% low	slowest 1% of frames	Shows stability in heavier moments.
0.1% low	worst micro-drops	Helps detect stutters.
Frametime	time needed to render a frame	The smoother it is, the more responsive the game feels.

If one configuration has slightly lower average FPS but better 1% lows and more consistent frametime, it may feel better in real gameplay.

CS2 in-game settings

This is a reasonable competitive baseline. It is not the only correct setup for every PC, but it is a good starting point.

Category	Setting	Recommended value	Why
Video	Resolution	1280x960 or 1920x1080	1280x960 in 4:3 stretched is a popular competitive choice because the image is easier to read and player models appear visually wider. 1920x1080 is better if you prefer a native, sharper image and also play more casually.
Video	Display Mode	Fullscreen / Windowed	Fullscreen is the safest choice for lowest latency and competitive play. Windowed or borderless is more convenient for frequent alt-tabbing, but it is worth checking whether it hurts smoothness on your PC.
Advanced video settings	Boost Player Contrast	Enabled	Improves enemy model visibility on maps. In CS2, it is worth keeping enabled.
Advanced video settings	Vertical Sync	Disabled	V-Sync can increase input lag, so it should be disabled for competitive play.
Advanced video settings	Multisampling Anti-Aliasing Mode	2X MSAA	A good compromise between edge clarity and performance. Higher values may cost FPS, while disabling it completely can make edges harder to read.
Advanced video settings	Global Shadow Quality	Low	Helps maintain higher FPS while still keeping useful shadow information.
Advanced video settings	Dynamic Shadows	All	Shadows can provide real gameplay information, such as revealing an enemy position. This setting is not worth cutting blindly.
Advanced video settings	Model / Texture Detail	Low	Lower detail reduces load and helps maintain stable FPS. In CS2, visibility and smoothness matter more than texture quality.
Advanced video settings	Texture Filtering Mode	Anisotropic 2X or 16X for strong PCs	2X is a light FPS-oriented setting. On stronger PCs, 16X is worth testing because the performance cost is often small and texture clarity can improve.
Advanced video settings	Shader Detail	Low	Fewer visual effects and less GPU load. A safe choice for stable FPS.
Advanced video settings	Particle Detail	Low	Less visual clutter and lower performance cost.
Advanced video settings	Ambient Occlusion	Disabled	Extra ambient shading does not provide a real competitive advantage and can add GPU load.
Advanced video settings	High Dynamic Range	Quality	A good choice if the image looks natural on your monitor. Keep it if it does not hurt visibility.
Advanced video settings	FidelityFX Super Resolution / FSR	Disabled, Highest Quality	For competitive play, native rendering is usually better because it avoids blur. FSR can help weaker PCs, but it often hurts image clarity.
Advanced video settings	NVIDIA Reflex / AMD Anti-Lag 2.0	Disabled / personal preference	Latency reduction features are worth testing on your specific setup. If you notice drops, instability or strange mouse feel, leave them disabled.

Windows 11 for CS2

Short version:

• Game Mode: ON,
• HAGS: test before/after — usually enabled,
• Optimizations for windowed games: ON if you play borderless/windowed,
• GPU driver: current stable version,
• chipset driver: current version,
• startup apps: limited,
• overlays: only the ones you need,
• Core Isolation / Memory Integrity: conscious decision, not a mandatory tweak.

Full explanation: Windows 11 gaming settings — what is actually worth checking?.

CPU Sets and processor affinity

In my tests on Ryzen 7 7800X3D, a reasonable direction was Core 0 OFF + SMT/HT OFF through CPU Sets. But that does not mean every PC should use the same setting.

Most important points:

• CPU Affinity is the harder restriction,
• CPU Sets are a softer scheduler hint,
• do not start optimization with CPU Sets,
• first configure the game, Windows and drivers,
• do not touch the anti-cheat process,
• test average FPS, 1% low, 0.1% low and frametime.

Full guide: CPU Affinity, CPU Sets and processor affinity in games — what is the difference?.

CS2 launch options

My recommendation: the less, the better.

I would only keep useful convenience options:

-novid -console